This course aims to introduce students to how nations fight and how others fight back. It covers key academic frameworks used to examine and understand the phenomena of war, as well as looks at several major examples of conflict from the late nineteenth century to the twenty-first century. Through this approach students will gain an understanding of the historical development of war and its impact on society with the idea that by better understanding war we might prevent it from occurring in the future.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the ways in which different groups of people, from indigenous societies to modern nation states have approached and understood the conduct of war.
- Identify continuity and change in the ways wars have been conducted from the French Revolution through to today.
- Explain key frameworks for understanding war that are required for undertaking more in-depth analysis of international security challenges covered in later-year courses;
- Reflect critically on the ways various nation states (and their people) have conducted war in the modern age.
- Employ written and oral communication skills to clearly and confidently articulate your ideas about how nations (and the people within these groups) fight.
Indicative Assessment
- Tutorial Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Quizzes (20) [LO 1,2]
- Analysis (1,200) (15) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Research Proposal (1,000) (15) [LO 3,5]
- Research Essay (2,500) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Total contact 36 hours, total workload for the course is 130 hours including independent study. In general 120 mins lecture, 60 mins seminar/tutorial per week. Activity may include excursions and relevant films or similar material.
Prescribed Texts
TBA
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $4680 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $6360 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8809 | 21 Jul 2025 | 28 Jul 2025 | 31 Aug 2025 | 24 Oct 2025 | In Person | N/A |